Hempfield substitute teacher accused of passing 'lewd' poem to high school student
A former substitute teacher at Hempfield Area High School was released from the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bond over the weekend after being arrested for allegedly passing a “lewd” poem to a female student.
State police arrested Troy T. Perkins, 41, on Friday, charging him with disorderly conduct and harassment, according to court documents.
Trooper David Vinkler said that he investigated an alleged April 12 incident that occurred in the high school library after receiving information through ChildLine, the state’s anonymous hotline. After passing along the self-penned poem containing numerous profanities, Perkins verbally harassed the girl at the school that day, Vinkler reported in court documents.
Reached by phone, Perkins said he had “no comment at this time.”
Superintendent Tammy Wolicki sent a letter to parents on Friday and later posted it on the school website.
“The Hempfield Area School District was made aware on April 12, 2022, that a high school student informed a school counselor about an inappropriate, profanity-laden written correspondence from a substitute teacher to the student at Hempfield Area High School. The district immediately suspended the substitute teacher, who was removed from campus,” the letter stated. “The district also immediately took all required steps to report the incident to the appropriate agencies, and an investigation began. Today, we have learned that charges have been filed against the former substitute teacher. The student in this situation took the appropriate steps to inform a counselor immediately.
“The district encourages all students to report any concerning use of inappropriate written or verbal language and/or contact between students and staff immediately.”
According to the state Department of Education, Perkins has an “active” certification to teach 7-12 grade English.
According to court records, Perkins has no prior criminal record in Pennsylvania. A preliminary hearing is scheduled May 10.
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